Monday, 19 May 2014

Erik Kessel

This photographed has produced some stunning photobook. Kessel came out of his busy schedule to come and do a talk for us at the College of Art.

He likes to have repetition within his work. The photobooks that he has produced, are photographs that he has found through means of friends, the internet and social media. The most famous books that he has produced would probably be 'In Almost Every Picture 11' and 'In Almost Every Picture 12'.

'In Almost Every Picture 11' the images depict a woman in water. It just happened that her husband enjoyed taking photographs of her in the water, and the wife enjoyed being in the water. A win win situation. The images that he had found are unusual, and yet still very likeable. Because she is enjoying the water, you find it very hard not find the images fun and entertaining.

After the book was published, the idea of using water in photography was copied by a fashion photographer shooting for the clothes of Stella McCartney. Kessel told the husband about the copying, and thought she should immerse her whole body to get the real enjoyment out of the water.

'In Almost Every Picture 12' is a similar series, but this time it is about a man and the love of his video recorder.

You can tell he has a great deal of pride over this piece of equipment. The video recorder has become an obsession for the man. Everyone at one time or another obsesses about something, but this obsession has stayed with his, and has probably man him the man he is today.

With producing these book Erik Kessel has questioned photography. For it to be your image do you have to had taken it? Or is about what you do with the images that counts?